Dear Future Matt,

We’re now entering 2021. I suspect it’s been more than 50 years since a year had such high hopes laid upon it.

Count me as someone with high hopes for this year. We have been incredibly fortunate throughout 2020, and have adapted to pandemic life; yet I am hopeful that before the year is out, we’ll be able to revisit activities off-limits in our pandemic: Things like visiting friends in person, small group socialization with food and drink. Maybe visiting a few restaurants.

I hope dearly that vaccination proceeds quickly and effectively. I’ll be terribly fascinated to see how restrictions drop, and at what level of community vaccination. I look forward to a dashboard showing a lovely up-and-to-the-right vaccination curve.

I’m not optimistic that our family will be vaccinated before July; we’re too low risk really. I’m hopeful however we’ll be vaccinated, along with the rest of the low risk populations, before the end of August

I’m terrified that a variant strain will render our current vaccines useless; as far my limited understanding of the science of the currently approved vaccines, this isn’t likely… still, I do worry.

I can’t really imagine setting any resolutions this year; mostly, I am just aiming to roll with the punches and ride out the year. I can’t really fathom planning much more than about a few weeks out right now.

I hope the year went well. Let there be no surprise of equal magnitude to SARS-CoV-2 in 2021.

— Matt, January 1, 2021